If your answer is anything but yes then we may not be friends anymore. Because my answer to that question is always "YES." Which is why I take home leftover bread from the bakery whenever I have the chance. The majority of our bread is meant to be eaten on the same day it's baked and it doesn't keep for too long (I usually have to throw it away when Greg's not looking because he'll happily eat it stale). Greg and I have added bread to our meals in many delicious ways this summer. We just can't say no.
Here are a few slices of City loaf hanging out with a dish of lemon and creme fraiche pasta.
A hot grilled piece of Francese laying seductively next to grilled corn and a pork chop.
Grilled slices of sourdough Pullman complimenting pork loin, potatoes and fresh green beans with tomatoes. (The sourdough Pullman bread was actually a mistake, but it turned out to be the best kind of mistake - a blessing in disguise).
And last but not least - the Brioche burger buns. Sure, we've brought these home a few times to make burgers with and they've been totally delicious. But here's a new twist for you: Brioche french toast.
Yes, I realize these are burger buns. But nobody is thinking of burgers when these buns are covered in powdered sugar and syrup. Trust me.
All photos are provided free of carbs. And a reminder: your answer to the post title question should always be yes. If the bread smells good, eat it.
Where did the summer go? The past few months have been fun-filled, busy and included a few major milestones and much baking. Just because I haven't been blogging doesn't mean that I haven't been baking and capturing the results with my camera. I have many pictures for you to drool over, but let's start with an update on how I bring home the dough these days. Actually, I leave most of the dough at work, but I usually end up with some of it stuck in my arm hair and on my shorts. And I'm really talking about my new full-time gig.
I have officially said farewell to my office cubicle, desk and computer, and hello to a bakery, mixer and dough. The name of the bakery is Amelia's and we specialize in bread - mostly Italian styles. I also help out as the unofficial assistant pastry chef in the adjoining restaurant, Bluebeard, making pie and cake. It's a lot of hard work (my 31-year-old body would love to tell you about its new aches and pains), but I love going to work everyday and wouldn't change a thing. I feel very lucky to be doing something I love to do and even luckier to have a husband who supports my career. Many thanks to Greg for being the bread winner while I am the bread maker.
Okay, that's enough sweetness. Let's get to the bread.
Here's our version of the baguette - it's called Francese.
Our City loaf is mostly white flour with a hint of wheat.
Sometimes we jazz it up with olives and rosemary.
The Semolina loaf is made with durum flour and a seed mixture of fennel, sesame and poppy.
Our Country loaf has whole wheat and rye flour plus an inclusion of whole grains. (Don't mind the Semolina in back - those seeds are quite eye catching.)
The basic white Pullman loaf is used for my favorite sandwich at the restaurant...a BLT.
And our Brioche burger buns smell absolutely mouth-watering when they come out of the oven. Butter bread anyone?
My favorite part of the day.
Oh, and that's our giant oven from overseas. It's quirky sometimes but makes delicious bread!
One of the perks of working at a bakery is taking home leftover bread. Stay tuned to see how we put leftover loaves to work at home. You "dough" not want to miss this.
(Sorry, it's been way too long since I made a corny joke. Thanks for indulging me.)
